Nothing can beat the fun of heading to a bar with your crew for a round (or several) of drinks. But the pandemic changed the way we party—private get-togethers, house parties, aperitivo at home for two (or one) has become the norm now.
Entertaining at home has also gaven birth to a plethora of homegrown mixer brands, all made with natural ingredients and chock-full of local aromatics and botanicals. So stock up your home bar with these cocktail mixes and get the party started!
Bartisans
If you like experimenting with your cocktails, Bartisans is the perfect companion for you. While the brand offers classic mixers like mojito, margarita and whisky sour, what we love is their range of unique flavour combinations like tamarind and orange, spiced rose, saffron marigold and more. Pair their smoked pineapple and basil cocktail mixer with tequila to make a brilliant margarita and thank us later. Crafted by an in-house mixologist, these zero-proof mixers are made in small batches with all-natural ingredients, plus they are vegan. Each bottle of 240 ml makes four-six drinks, or you can get a trial pack of four flavours to go with your favourite spirit.
Blind Gilt
A new entrant to the cocktail mixers space, Blind Gilt is crafted by the folks behind The Dram Club, a spirits appreciation platform, so they obviously know what they are doing. Consider the Paloma, which infuses the citrusy flavours of grapefruit with the sweetness of hibiscus; add some tequila, ice and soda for that perfect summer cocktail. If you prefer gin, pair it with their basil splash and lots of ice; don’t forget to muddle in some fresh basil leaves for that herb-y burst of flavour. The mixers come in boxes of six, either individual flavours or combos of two or get the starter pack with all six flavours.
Jimmy’s Cocktails
Crafted by some of India’s top mixologists, Jimmy’s Cocktails offers a range of mixers that will help you make bar-quality cocktails at home. Whether you’re hankering for a Bloody Mary or a Cosmo or a Margarita, they’ve got you covered. The brand recently launched a Gin Cherry Sour in collaboration with Greater Than, India’s first craft gin. Made with Turkish cherries, limes and ginger, this punchy mixer was created by master mixologist Yangdup Lama; pour over ice and gin to make a well-rounded cocktail perfect for all seasons (a bottle of 250 ml makes two cocktails).
Lazy Cocktails & Co.
Lazy Cocktails & Co. lives up to its name—just pour their mixers over ice and spike with your favourite spirit. These mixers are made with real fruit juice and claim to contain no artificial flavours. They come in fun variants such as passion fruit ginger martini, jalapeno margarita, zero-sugar mojito etc. We love their elderflower rose spritzer with gin for a brunch-perfect cocktail. Get the variety pack of six mixers and pick your favourite; each bottle of 250 ml makes two cocktails.
Local Ferment Co.
Local Ferment Co. has been brewing up all sorts of probiotic beverages, including kombucha, tepache, jun and more. Their all-natural shrubs made with fresh fruits, berries, foraged herbs and kombucha vinegar make for great cocktail mixers. Shake up a Clover’s Club with gin, egg white, lemon juice and their raspberry, ginger and orange shrub. Pick up their cocktail kit, which comes with a selection of three shrubs, a recipe card and dehydrated garnishes.
Ōtaṇē
Translating as “to pour” in Marathi and “to infuse” in Sanskrit, Ōtaṇē offers a range of infusion mixes for the experimentalists. Like Florified Indigo with rosemary, butterfly pea, lavender etc. that can be infused with gin or Laidback Scarlet with dried cranberries, roselle leaves, ginger, star anise etc. that works with either gin or vodka. Just pour 500 ml your favourite spirit into their bottle of infusion mix and let it infuse for 10 hours to several days depending upon the flavour profile you like (kits come with a tasing card and recipe book; makes 10-12 drinks).
Peer Drinks
A recent addition to the made-in-India tonic waters category, Peer Drinks is well-crafted with natural quinine and contains no artificial sweeteners, preservatives or flavours, not to mention it has high carbonation for that perfect G+T. The tonics come in four variants—Indian tonic water, zero-cal, mint and bitter lemon. We particularly like their bitter lemon tonic water that goes well with any white spirit and ice; add crushed ginger, lime wedges and mint leaves for a refreshing kick.
Saray & Co.
Created by a trio of bartenders, Saray & Co. promises to elevate your cocktail-drinking experience with their small-batch syrups and concentrates. The brand offers six flavours such as lavender blue pea, spiced coffee, oregano cordial etc. Their pineapple pickle makes a mean highball—add it to whisky and ice, top it up with ginger ale and garnish with star anise. Or try making a Black Russian with the spiced coffee syrup, vodka, ice and a wedge of orange.
Svami
A pioneer in the Indian-made tonic waters industry, Svami offers a range of mixers such as assorted tonic waters (regular, flavoured and low-calorie), ginger ale, salted lemonade and 2-cal cola. We love the salted lemonade on its own or as a mixer for a refreshing summer-ready drink. Or try the Breakfast Highball developed by their brand ambassador Jatin Waingankar—mix whisky, orange marmalade and lime juice, add lots of ice and top it up with Svami ginger ale.
Tipsy Tiger
Take the fuss out of making cocktails with classic cocktail mixes from Tipsy Tiger. Whether you’re looking to kick back with a whisky sour or an old fashioned or a mojito, these flavourful mixers hit the spot. Made with real aromatic bitters and containing less than 5 per cent sugar, each bottle of 250 ml makes two drinks. Their Bloodiest Mary is particularly smashing—just add vodka or gin and plenty of ice.